Method of forming tubes



Nov. 16, 1937. G. LARSEN METHOD OF FORMING TUBES Filed April 27, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENT OR.

Nov. 16, 1937. G. LARSEN 2,099,126

METHOD OF FORMING TUBES Filed April 27, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I fg I 31\ INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 16, 1931 .UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIE METHOD OF FORMING TUBES Gabriel Larsen, Springfield, N. J assignor to L. .E. Waterman Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application April 27, 1935, Serial No. 18,701

3 Claims. (01. 41-35) This invention relates to a novel and improved opaque, it is of course to be understood that that form of method of forming tubes, the novel fearelation may be reversed and that the invention tures of which will be best understood from the in fact is not limited to the use of translucent or I following description and the annexed drawings, opaque materials, since it may be practiced in which I have shown a selected embodiment of equally well with other materials which are conthe invention and in which: trasting in appearance, in color, or in other re- Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a rod which spects.

may form the raw material upon which the meth- It is oftentimes desirable to make fountain pen od is practiced; barrels with various designs for decorative purlO Figs 2, 3, and 4 are views showing consecutive poses and sometimes it is desirable to combine the steps in the treatment of the rod shown in Fig. 1, decorative effect with a barrel which is sufiiciently Fig. 4 showing the finished tube; translucent so that the level of ink therein can Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but showing a be readily ascertained by inspection. My invendifferent embodiment of the product achieved by tion readily lends itself to the making of a bara slightly dilierent step in the method of Figs. 1, rel which shall have all or only selected ones of 15 2, 3, and 4; the above characteristics.

Fig. 6 is a view of the product of either Figs. 4 Referring now to Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, and asor 5, viewed lengthwise of the tube; suming that the tube made according to the pres- Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a tube which ent invention is to be used for a fountain pen barlikewise may form the raw material upon which rel having certain areas translucent and certain the method is practiced; areas relatively opaque, I may form the trans- Fig. 8 is a View similar to Fig. 7 but showing a lucent rod l of Fig. 1 with a plurality of recesses later step in the method of treating the tube of on the outer surface thereof. These recesses may Fig. 7; take any desirable form, but for the purposes of Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8 but showing a illustration I have shown them as in the form of 25 difiereht form Which y b achieved'as a result grooves 2 which are milled or otherwise formed of e first p; I in the surface of the rod and extend substan- Figs. 10 and 11 are views corresponding respectially coaxially thereof. These grooves are shown v y 60 i s. 8 d 9 a S w e mplet d as being equally spaced around the periphery of a f the rod, although it will be'understood that this 30 Flgs- 12 and 13 are VieWS Corresponding SP spacing may be varied as found desirable. tively to Figs. 9 and 11 and showing a tube which After the grooves are formed, I place therein ay be use h Conjunction W the e Of F pieces 3 of material which is opaque as compared 7 in practiclng the invention according to this to the material of which the rod I is made.- AsfOrm; suming, as I have, that the rod I is of cellulosic 35 Fig. 14 is a longitudlnal view of 'a portion of the material, the pieces 3 may conveniently be made tube S o in 10 01 of the same material and integrally secured to The W al s a y which ay com the material of the rod by any of the means Veniently be in the form of a rod or tube. For known in the handling of this type of material. the sake of convenience, I have shown both the For example, a suitable acetone cement may be 40 rod and tube as of cylindrical cross-section, but used to unite the rod with the pieces, preferably it will be understood that that is done merely for with pressure. This method of forming an intethe sake of convenience of illustration, since the gral connection between the piece and rod is shape ofthe body may vary widely. merely given as an example of one well-known Similarly, the material of which the body is method. 45 formed may be of any material of which it is de- The pieces 3 may be fully formed in strips sired the finished product shall consist. For the when the recesses are in the form of grooves, and purpose of illustration, I shall assume that the one convenient way of obtaining the strips of the body is made of a translucent or transparent celdesired shape and size is to remove the strips from lulosic material and that the finished tube is to another rod of substantially identical diameter 50 be used for making a fountain pen barrel. and cross-section as the rod I, but of the desired According to my invention, I replace certain different material. A similar method is more parts of the translucent body with relatively fully described in connection with the embodiopaque parts. While I shall thus refer to the ments shown in Figs. 7 to 14. body as translucent and the other parts as After the rod and strips are united to form the 5 structure appearing in Fig. 3, it will be seen that the appearance of the rod is of alternate opaque and translucent stripes. For some purposes, a rod as thus constituted may be found useful, but assuming that it is desired to form a tube, such tube may now be formed by boring out the central portion of the rod to form the wall 4 as in Fig. 4. In this particular figure, the size of the bore is sufficient so that the inner surface 5 of the wall 4 is tangent with the cylindrical walls 6 of the grooves 2. Since the strips 3 are integrally united with the material of the rod, the entire combined rod" and strips may be treated as a single piece so that the size of the bore may extend to the strips 3 as shown in Fig. 4 or even into those strips if desired.

On the other hand, the bore may be mad smaller as shown in Fig. 5, so that the wall 4 will comprise a portion 1 between the inner surface 5 of the wall 4 and the walls 6 of the grooves.

The finished tube will have some such appearance as-indicated in Fig. 6, with'alternate opaque and translucent stripes, the opaque stripes being material.

formed by the strips 3 and the translucent'stripes being formed by the portions 8 between the strips. Referring now to Figs. 7 to 14, inclusive, I have shown therein a method which may be practiced where the raw material is in the form of a tube fl, which is here illustrated as of translucent material. In the wall of this tube may be formed a plurality of recesses, here'shown as being arranged in groups of three about the periphery of the tube, although this arrangement is a purely arbitrary one.

The recesses may be in the form of the grooves It, as shown in Fig. 8, or in the form of slots ll extending entirely through the wall, as shown in Fig. 9. Where the recesses extend completely through the wall as in Fig. 9, it will be understood that they are not continuous, but may have some such arrangement as shown in Fig. 14.

The recesses may next be filled with pieces '12 or E3, as indicated in Figs. 10 and 11, and here again for purpose of illustration I have shown strips as shown in Fig. 14, I may form the .slots ii and the slots l5 in the two tubes 9 and 14' of identical size and shape and correspondingly located in the tubes. The slots may be formed by removing strips of material from the respective tubes, and then the strips removed from the tube it may become the strips 13 inserted in the slots in the tube shown, as indicated in Fig. 11.

Similarly, the strips removed to form the slots ii may become the strips it placed in the slots [5 of the tube M, as indicated in Fig. 13.

In other words, the pieces removed from the two tubes, being removed from corresponding 10- cations and being identical in size and shape, may be interchanged. On'the other hand, if found more convenient for any reason, slots may be formed in one tube, wasting the material thus removed, and thenpieoes of the desired size and shape maybe removed from the second tube and placed in the recesses of the first tube.

As pointed out above, the method just described may be practiced equally well with rods or other forms or" bodies as well as with the tubular form of bodyin connection with which it has been described'in detail.

The tube obtained from either of the specific methods described; above may be used for any purpose desired, such, for example, as the barrel of 'afountain pen. When soused, it will be found thatthe tube is susceptible. of a wide range of decorative efiects, dependent upon the character of thematerials used,and the locations and arrang'ement-of the recesses and the pieces therein. Normally, thepi'e'ces in the recesses will be of dif-' ferent color than that of the body in which the recesses are formed, 'and'it will be understood that the invention is not limited to an arrangement in which' various materials are translucent and opaque, respectively.

Various changes in details will suggest 'themselves to those skilled in the art, and therefore I- do not intend to limit appended claims.

I claim: a

1. The method which comprises forming two tubes of contrasting appearance andof substantially equal diameter, cross-section and wall thickness, forming recesses in the wall of one of said tubes and correspondingly located and substantially identically shaped recesses in the wall of myself except by the the other tube, and securing in therecesses in one tube the material removed from the other tube in forming the recesses therein.

2. The method which comprises forming two cylindrically. shaped bodies of contrasting appearance and of substantially identical cross-section, forming recesses in the cylindrical surface of one of said bodies and" correspondingly located and substantially identicallyshap'ed recesses in the cylindricalsurface of theother body, and scour ing in the recessesin one, body the material removed from the recesses in the other body.

' 3. The 1 method which comprises forming two tubes of "contrastingappearance and of substantially equal diameter, cross-section and wall thickness, removing pieces of material from one of said tubes to-iorm slots extending through the wall thereof, forming correspondingly located and- 

